


There are some things you just don't do (but some people do them anyways)

by Multifandom_child



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Episode: s02e15 Murdoc + Handcuffs, Head Injury, M/M, Major Character Injury, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-21 05:18:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16570382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multifandom_child/pseuds/Multifandom_child
Summary: Murdoc will do a lot of things, but rape isn't one of them.Angus doesn't know that.Or, Mac, Jack and Murdoc get separated in the warehouse, but  things go a little differently and Helman shoots Mac before Murdoc gets the chance, and now they're stuck hiding out in an "abandoned" house, hoping Jack finds them before Helman does.





	1. Murdoc + handcuffs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically most of this chapter is just catching you up so you're reminded of where we are. Most of its the same as the episode (Murdoc + handcuffs) until the end where you see a bit of what went different. It's a slow start, I know, but it gets better.

"You know, I love watching you work, MacGyver, but this is completely unnecessary. I mean, you two are protecting me, supposedly. It'd make no sense for me to run away." Murdoc reasoned.

"Well, even if it did, now you can't."Macgyver snapped back in a shitty impersonation of an optimistic person.

Do we even know where this tin can is going?"Jack interjected.

"According to the manifest on those crates there, you're bound for the Port of Los Angeles. So without getting into a literal junior high math problem, about 18 hours." Mac replied.

"Yeah, as long as Helman doesn't factor into the equation. Hey. Don't be stupid."Jack gave Murdoc a pointed look.

"Oh, I think you've got that part covered, Jack." He smirked.

Jack looked even more annoyed.

The train whistle blew loudly as the old train was pulled along the tracks.

" Oh, Angus, how goes the search for dear old Daddy? Making any headway?" Murdoc taunted.

Mac sighed.

"Actually, yeah. Yeah. I found him living off the grid in the Montana backwoods. It's not easy, since we barely know each other anymore, but we're making an effort to patch things up."Mac lied.

"Mm-hmm, yeah, well, I see what you're doing there I like it."

"What?"

"No, no, no, no, I'm making up a story, then you're making up a story, oh! Didn't work for you either, pal. I see right through you. Come on, MacGyver. For once, can we please just take the truth for a little walkie-walk?"

"Okay, you first. Why did you agree to kill your former mentor? Oh, wait. Is it possible that I'm not the only one with daddy issues?" He asked.

"Touché. I have an abundance of daddy issues. They're just a different flavor from yours, MacGyver. See, my father never abandoned me. He stayed. And well, I'll spare you all the gory details, but trust me when I say sometimes it's better to be abandoned. For everyone." Murdoc said and for once, Mac didn't feel like he was lying.

"But not in the case of Helman. Am I right? You took it personally when he ditched you."

"I suppose when Helman retired, I did take it a bit personally. MacGyver, the man was an artist of death, someone that I greatly admired, and then he goes and he throws it all away for love? That's something I never could understand."Murdoc sighed, staring off into the distance as if in a daze.

"What do you think, MacGyver, do you know why your dad left?"He trained his attention back to the blonde.

"I used to think I did. I told him I blamed him for my mom's death right before he left. But you know what? I was a kid, I was hurting. He had grown so distant after she'd passed, I just I guess I wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of him."

"You ever consider murdering him? I don't want to get all Freudian on you, but there is absolutely nothing as cathartic as killing your own father. Trust me."Murdoc practically moaned the sentence and MacGyver looked away from him with a disgusted expression on his face.  
                                                                》》》

"Well, so much for getting off that train before he spotted us." Jack sighed, pushing Murdoc along as he follow Mac towards the warehouse.

"More good news. We can't get in." Mac sighed.

"Well, I can shoot it off there, but I think I better save some ammo for the Terminator."Jack told him.

"No-no-no, I-I can get through this. It's low-grade steel. I just need a piece of, uh, heavy-duty, high-carbon steel..." He turned just in time to see Murdoc standing next to him with his arms held up, showing off his handcuffs.

"All yours, MacGyver."

"Don't do this."Jack warned him.

"Get 'em off him."Mac sighed.

"If there was a contest for all-time worst ideas, this wins the blue ribbon."Jack rolled his eyes.

"We don't have a choice." Mac gave Jack a knowing look.

Jack unlocked the handcuffs, keeping a close eye on Murdoc.

Mac knew neither of his options were good. Both of them could end in a very painful, bloody death. But he had to do something or there was no doubt, they were all going to die.

"Ditch that creepy smile." Jack growled.

Mac got to work opening the door.

There was a loud bang as the lock broke and the door creaked open.

"Got it! Murdoc! Go!" Jack shoved him towards the door.

Then there was gunfire.

Mac and Jack dove for cover, assuming Murdoc was just behind them.

Apparently, they had gotten a little to used to him being cooperative.

"Where is he?" Jack asked suddenly, scanning the room.

"I-I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Mac sighed.

"There's not one, but two psychopathic killers on the loose. I got about six bullets left. You just had to let him go."Jack groaned in annoyance.

"Yeah, you were right."Mac admitted.

"About what?"

"All-time worst idea ever."

"Thank you. What's the plan there, homeslice?"

"I'm working on it."

"Yeah, well, kick the neurons into hyperdrive, will you? I got about six bullets left."

"I heard you the first time."

"Yeah, the only reason I'm telling you is so you don't blame me when I can't save your skinny ass."

"Well, if you can't save me, it's 'cause I'm dead, so there'll be no blaming, I can assure you."

"Well, you're right. That's a good point. Yeah, that makes me feel a whole lot better."

"Not me."

"Oh, come on. You know I'm not gonna let anything- You know, just forget it."

"Yeah, forget it. That's a good idea."

"You just had to let him go." Jack said again, for what Mac believed was the third time.

"Stop. I'm trying to focus."

"Had to let him go." Jack muttered.

Mac ignored him, focusing on making up a plan."

"I-I can work with this."

"Yeah? Wh-What's the plan?"

"Oh, yeah. Uh, I'm gonna make a drop net trap. It's the same one that's used on wild animals, but, uh, we're gonna lure Helman underneath it..." He trailed off.

"With what?" 

"With live bait."

"Nice. Ladies and gentlemen, the role of "live bait" will be played by your very own Jack Dalton. Am I right?"

"Just long enough for me to incapacitate him."

"Yeah, okay, fine. Hey, you want to hear something funny? Right now? Of all the reasons I want to live through this, you know the one thing that keeps popping in my little nugget?"

"The Cowboys win the Super Bowl?"

"You'd think so, right? Yeah, b-but no. It's Diane. I'm kind of ready to see where that might go, you know what I mean?"

"That's romantic. But maybe we should, uh, worry about surviving the two world's deadliest killers first, huh? All right, look, I got this locked down. I'm gonna set the trap. You go find Helman and bring him this way. "

"Yeah, okay. Good luck. Save it for later. Right."Jack nodded, heading off to find their not so friendly guest.

Mac set to work on the final touches of the trap.

Then he heard a gun cock.

He looked up and barely had enough time to think before he was tackled to the ground and the bullet shot past them.


	2. Mac + injury + Murdoc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murdoc decides to save MacGyver and they end up holed up in a cabin. After treating Mac's bullet wound, they have nothing but time to talk about why he's acting like he is...

Mac groaned as he hit the ground. 

"Jack?"

"Guess again."

He opened his eyes and Murdoc was on top of him. 

"I think you just gave me a concussion..."He muttered. 

"Your welcome."

Apparently, he had tackled him to the floor, putting them both behind a crate and hiding them from Helman. 

Murdoc rolled off, but before they could do anything else, Helman shot at the only thing he could, (probably hoping to slow them down) which happened to be Mac's leg that wasn't hidden by the crate during their fall.

Mac screamed and Murdoc dragged him forward, pulling his leg behind the cover, before popping up and firing a few shots at Helman. 

That made him duck for cover at the very least, and Murdoc leaned down, pulling Mac up and supporting his weight in place of his bad leg.

He fired a few more shots for cover as he backed towards the exit, pulling MacGyver with him.

He slammed the door behind him, attempting to make his way towards the treeline,( There was at least some cover there) but MacGyver was just so damned slow...

He sighed, stopping and Mac had a look on his face that reminded him of a scared little kid, worried Murdoc would leave him...

But he didn't. 

MacGyver was his drama and he wasn't about to let Helman get at him first. 

He shifted his weight, picking him up bridal style and sprinting towards the trees.

Under any other circumstances, Mac would've been embarrassed, but now he was in too much pain to care.

In that pain, he had completely forgotten about Jack, just for a moment.

"Jack...W-wait...Stop, Murdoc-"

"If I wait or stop, we're both going to die."

"Jack. We can't just leave...Jack..."

"You know Jack's a big boy. He'll figure things out. Hopefully he stays away from Helman. He'll eventually find us. With a little luck..."

"Please, Murdoc."

"You're injured. You've been shot. You can't walk and, as you said, you probably have a concussion. You're no help to anyone at the moment. This is what Jack would want, right? He'd want you out of harms way and that is where I am trying to take you right now."

Murdoc carried Mac until they came across a cabin that looked pretty well empty. Mac had been fading in and out of consciousness the whole time.

"You're a lot lighter than I expected, by the way."

"Gee, thanks." 

Murdoc set him down and tried the door. 

As he expected, it was locked, but he had thought maybe he'd get lucky.

"Worth a try." He sighed. 

He tried the window.  

It was a little stiff from not being used, but with a bit of force, it slid open. 

"Bingo!"

He climbed up through it, walking around to unlock the door.

The door swung open and a half-conscious Mac looked up at him.  

"What? I can pick locks, too, but it takes longer. And being that you're bleeding out over here..."

"I get it." Mac groaned, shifting his weight of the floor. He dug around for something in his pocket. He pulled out a paperclip, setting it on the porch. Murdoc gave him a questioning look. "Jack'll know it's from me. Helman won't. " "Ahh, I see." Murdoc helped him up, pulling him inside and locking the door behind him. He set Mac down on a chair. 

"Sit tight and don't die for juuust a minute, sweetheart..." He walked around the room, closing all the curtains and covering the windows with furniture and pulling a heavy dresser in front of the door. 

"Now we shouldn't be getting any more shot any time soon." He came back to Mac, with a flashlight, shining it directly into his face without warning.

"Ugh, What are you-?"

"Yup. Looks like a mild concussion."He said quickly, helping him up again. 

He walked him into the bedroom, laying him down.

"Why didn't you let me die?" Mac asked suddenly.

"Going straight for the big questions, are we? I love that about you, Angus. Straight to the point."

Mac rolled his eyes.

"You want me dead. You tried to kill me yourself, more than once. I slowed you down. You could've run out of there and let me get shot, but you didn't. Why?"

"You definitely have a concussion...You are very much shot."

"You know what I mean."

They stared at each other  for a long moment.

"I want to kill you myself."

Mac tried to keep his expression unreadable.

"Well, not right now. Later. But I can't do that if he does it first. And besides, this is all so...Messy. And not the good kind of messy. Sloppy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good bloody murder, but this? This is not how I plan on seeing you go, boy scout. I have special plans for you. Later."

"How comforting." Mac narrowed his eyes.

Murdoc looked down, examining Mac's leg. 

"Angus, might I borrow that little pocket knife of yours?" He asked.

"Why? Change your mind about killing me now?"

"I might if you keep up that attitude. This leg wound is only going to keep bleeding until I fix it, you know."

Mac scoffed. 

" 'Fix it', huh?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You know how to fix this?" Mac said in an unbelieving voice.

"I do, actually. Do you know how many times I've been shot? I can't exactly go to a hospital, now can I? I'm very popular, you know."

"Oh, yes. Of course."

"The knife, Angus?"

Mac sighed, digging it out of his pocket. 

Murdoc took it. 

"Thank you, sweetheart."

Mac closed his eyes. 

"Stop calling me that."He growled. 

"Yeesh, you're a little touchy, aren't you? Must be the leg. Maybe the head. Either way." That earned an eyeroll from Mac. 

Murdoc cut the fabric of Mac's jeans away from the wound.

Mac was watching him carefully now.

"Hmm...looks as if the bullet's stopping a good deal of the blood...But you are still bleeding and I just dragged you through the woods with an open wound..."Murdoc thought out loud.

He reached up, undoing Mac's belt.

"W-what are you doing?"Mac's eyes went wide. The shock, head injury  and blood loss were finally getting to him and he was a little slow on understanding.

"What does it look like?"Murdoc asked.

"Please..." Mac's hand was on his own now.

"I'm stopping the bleeding. I need your belt for a tourniquet..." Murdoc said slowly, as if speaking to a child.

Mac swallowed, slowly pulling his hand away.

Murdoc pulled the belt from it's loops, cinching it around his leg, above the wound.

He left for a moment and came back with a bottle of vodka and a clean rag.

He poured the alcohol onto the rag, soaking it thouroughly.

"This it gonna hurt, by the way." He said, before pressing it to Mac's wound.

Mac let out a strangled scream and Murdoc covered his mouth quickly.

Mac's eyes widened again, and again, he looked like a scared little kid.

His hands gently grasped at Murdoc's. He wasn't really fighting. It was more of a wordless, terrified plea.

"Shhh...Gotta clean it. You don't want an infection."Murdoc said gently.

To Mac's surprise, he cleaned the wound without causing any unnecessary pain. 

"What was that about?" He asked when he was finished.

"What?"

"The thing with the belt. Oh, and the other thing just now."

"N-nothing..."

"Mm, you know you're a terrible liar, right?" He tsked, going to grab a clean shirt from the closet. 

He cut it up to make a bandage.

"Really, I'm genuinely interested. What is it?" He asked again as he carefully wrapped the ripped shirt around Mac's wound.

He looked up to see a hundred-yard-stare in Mac's eyes.

"Angus?"

Mac shook his head.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Liar."

"I'm concussed."

"Well, then, I guess you better not take a nap, but that's not what's bothering you.

"I'm okay!" 

"You're lying!"

Mac flinched.

"Why do you care anyways?" Mac had tears in his eyes.

Murdoc blinked slowly.

"Why are you...crying?"

Mac didn't answer. He just lowered his head.

"Hey..." Murdoc began awkwardly. 

He honestly wasn't sure what to do. 

He placed a hand on Mac's thigh, trying to comfort him a bit. 

Only, that just made him cry more.

He scooted back, wincing at his sore leg.

"Don't touch me!"He screamed. 

"Shh!"Murdoc covered his mouth. 

"Do you want Helman to find us?" Mac shook his head and Murdoc let him go.

"Now... What's wrong with you?"

Mac just stared with wide, teary eyes.

Murdoc realized now that Mac may have felt a more compelled to be a little more talkative if he wasn't cornered. 

He sat back a little. 

"I'm sorry. Just...breathe. Please stop crying..."It honestly unnerved him. 

He had never seen Mac cry before and he didn't know what to do.

"Angus, you didn't think...?"

"Think what? That you were gonna..." Mac trailed off, looking away.

"Do you...Do you want to talk?"

"It's a long story."

"We've got nothing but time..."Murdoc shrugged.

"You wouldn't understand." Mac shook his head.

"Try me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm not the greatest writer, but I hope this chapter turned out okay. I hope im not letting anyone down...=/


	3. Macgyver + Murdoc + bad childhoods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac and Murdoc have a chat.

"What happened to you? Who hurt you?"

"Why do you want to know? So you can use it against me? So it can become...just like the thing with my dad. The thing that you bring up all the time just to get a rise out of me?"

"No. Come on, Macgyver, I'm being serious. I promise you, if you were hurt, and I think you were...We can talk. I won't tell anyone else. And I'll never bring it up again without your permission."

"Why are you such a nice guy all of a sudden? What's your deal? Why bother? You wanna know what really happened? I was seven years old. My dad wasn't around as often as he used to be. I was hurt by that. I spent most of my time with my grandfather. But there was this one guy...That used to hang around with my dad." Mac looked down, hiding the tears in his eyes.

"One night, my grandfather had to be somewhere, so he stayed with me. And when it was time for bed...  He held me down and covered my mouth and told me to be quiet... You can guess the rest. And when he was finished...He...He said that it was...Our little secret. And he'd kill my dad if I told anyone. That's the clearest thing I remember from that long ago. Happy? Now that I spilled my little heart out to you? Ready to use it all against me?"

"Angus...That...You know I wouldn't... I would never do that to you...or anyone else. That's not okay."

"You kill people every day without batting an eye. Why would this be any different?"

"Because it is. That is never, ever okay. I didn't know that you...I would've tried to be more...sensitive. The same thing happened to me. You know, um...You know what I said about...my father? I was telling the truth."

Mac just stared.

"I was... a little older than you. Actually I was about...fourteen. My mother had just left. She just...Ran away. Left me with him. I mean, I know my father was hard on her, but...She could have as least taken me with her. She didn't. I always had such a hard time, you know. With... My father and school...The other kids... I wasn't exactly the most popular kid. But she always made me feel better. She made me feel...Like maybe life wasn't so bad. I cared for her. And I thought she cared for me, too, but apparently not."Murdoc forced a small laugh.

He sighed, his fake smile dropping instantly.

"Anyways, when she left, my father needed someone else to be the target of all his drunken fury. And I mean all of it. Beatings, rape, everything.  He said I looked like her. I dunno. Then I started dissecting things, torturing small animals... I mean, I had to get all of that bottled up hurt and anger out somehow, so...I did that. The other kids at school labeled me as a freak and I wanted them all dead. I wanted everyone dead, everyone I knew... So when I got out of high school, I ran away to try to join the army, and when that didn't work, I was just...so...angry. Because life wasn't fair. So I went off and joined these groups of horrible murderous people like me that make people like you sick.  And then Helman ran off with some woman. You know the rest. It's just like I told you..." Murdoc told most of the story with the same creepily happy voice he always used, but Mac could tell there was real pain behind it.

"I didn't... I didn't know..."Mac tried.

"Well, of course not.  I only just told you. I'm really good at keeping secrets. I've done it all my life. " Murdoc replied.

He sighed.

"It's okay. I'm sorry. I know I can be a bit...Insensitive and detached at times. Well...Most of the time. It comes with the job."

"I'm sorry I said that stuff...You know, about...You using that against me, and that you wouldn't understand...I guess I've just...I've never really talked about it with anybody else."

"I'm sorry I touched you when you didn't want me to. And covered your mouth. I just...Didn't know what to do when you started crying, and...I didn't want us to get caught."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I cried." Mac forced a small smile.

"You don't have to apologize for that." Murdoc shook his head.

They both sat in silence for a moment.

"I know this is probably...The last thing you want to hear right now, but...We have a lot in common in the most basic ways, even though our stories are different. Your mother passed, mine left. Your father left, mine stayed and tortured me. We both had to deal deal with that...Other thing...But now here we are. On opposite ends. You're the good guy, I'm the bad guy... I'm trying to kill you, you're trying to catch me..."

"Yeah...I guess you're right."Mac admitted with a small nod.

"Yeah."

Then there was a knock on the door.

They both froze.

"Hey, Mac? You in here? I uh...I think I found your paperclip? I'm knocking just in case you rigged the door or something, cause you do that sometimes..."

"Thank God, it's just Jack."Mac sighed in relief with a light laugh.

"Speak for yourself. He wants to kill me, too."

"Well, I guess he'll just have to do that...Later."Mac smirked.

"I see what you did there."

Mac got up, limping to the door and Murdoc followed him.

Murdoc helped him push the dresser out of the way and Mac unlocked and opened the door.

"Thank God, Mac, I was worried about you, man!"Jack hugged him tightly.

Mac hugged him back quickly.

"Did you get shot?"

"Yeah, actually-"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, Jack. I'm good. Uh...let's get inside. Any word on Helman?" He asked as Jack stepped in.

"Well, he's ain't leaving that warehouse. The other psycho must've gotten to him first."

"Well, not intentionally. I didn't think I actually hit him."

Jack turned so fast he swore he gave himself whiplash.

"You caught the other psycho!" Jack held out a hand, attempting a high five. "Wait, why does he have a gun?" He asked, gesturing to the gun at his belt.

"Don't worry, Jack, I'm out of bullets."

"Well, actually...He...Saved my life. I would be dead right now if it weren't for him. He pushed out of the way when Helman tried to shoot me. I got shot in the leg, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't Helman's original plan, so...I think I got pretty lucky. He got me out of the warehouse. He shot at him to cover us. One of the bullets must've ricocheted and hit him. He dragged me here and dressed my wound. That was only a few minutes ago. I haven't had a chance to look for supplies to build a radio yet."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...You're kidding, right?"

"Well, I know I'm usually quicker, but in my defense, I just got shot and I'm also concussed, so...cut me a little slack?"

"Not THAT! The part where the crazy psycho who's been hell-bent on killing you saved you!?"

"That is hurtful, Jack." Murdoc scoffed in mock offence.

"I didn't ask you!" Jack snapped.

"Jack," Mac gave him a look. "I'm serious. I don't know why, but he did. So here  we are. Can you please try to get along just a little bit? At least until we can get the hell out of here?"

"Fine."Jack grumbled, crossing his arms begrudgingly.

"Oh, yay!" Murdoc grinned.

Jack glared at him.

"Now, will someone please help me look for parts to build a radio? Or something to use to get a hold of Matty?" Jack nodded.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Murdoc asked.

"Well, first of all, obviously look for any phones or radios. If there aren't any, look for pretty much anything electronic and gather all of that stuff together and I guess... I'll figure something out from there."

They all searched the house and ended up finding enough junk for Mac to make a radio.

Matty sent a chopper for them and before they knew it, they were on their way home.

Well, back to LA at least.

Mac's wound was properly treated and everyone was relieved to find that the bullet hadn't caused to much damage. With a bit of physical therapy, he would be good as new.

Jack was just glad to have Mac back and to finally get away from Murdoc.

And both Mac and Murdoc were wordlessly grateful that they had finally gotten those stories of their chests.

So Jack and Mac went back to working at the Phoenix and Murdoc went to a highly secure prison.

But who knew? Maybe Mac would come visit him every once in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I'm actually planning on doing another chapter or two on this story, cause I have a few more ideas. So there will be that. Let me know how you guys liked it, if you did. And uh...I hope it didn't suck so far...XD


	4. Mac+ Jack + where the hell have you been?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is bound and determined to figure out where Mac's been disappearing to.

It had been 6 months since they went on that mission to retrieve Murdoc.  
6 months since Helman tried to kill them all.  
6 months since Murdoc was put back in prison.  
6 months since Angus MacGyver started acting very strangely.

No doubt, Mac had always been strange. But this was different.

And Jack was set on getting to the bottom of it.

"Hey, uh... Riley?"He scanned the room carefully for Matty.

"Yeah?" She asked, looking up from her laptop.

"I was wondering, um... Could you do something for me? And I mean, like, a _don't tell Matty_  kind of thing?"

"Sure. What?" She asked with a look of slight concern.

"Well...The thing is I'm worried about Mac. He's been doing this thing lately where he just... Disappears. Every other Tuesday.  For about an hour. I didn't really notice at first, but...Now it's like...Clockwork. Every other Tuesday at around the same time. I don't know where he goes, but the few times I've asked where he was headed, he gave me some stupid, shitty, made-up answer."

"So... You want me to track his phone."

"Yeah, kinda. I mean, It sounds bad when you say it out loud, but...I'm really worried about that kid."

"It's fine, Jack. I get it." She nodded, turning and typing away.

It only took her a few minutes to  track it and both Jack and Riley were shocked at where it said he had been going.

》》》  
"- but anyways, whether you quit or not, I'm always going to call you a boy scout."

"Ugh, I hate you!"Mac laughed.

"Why? I'm lovely." Murdoc tried to hide his smile, failing miserably.

"You know what? You're an idiot."

"We're both idiots."

"We're co-presidents of the idiot club."

They both laughed at that.

After a moment, Murdoc sighed.

"I had a thought."

"Oh, no..."

"I swear, it's a good one this time!"

"Well, I mean...it's not really _good_ _,_ but...It's not about murder or anything like that."

"Well, what is it?"

"Why do you keep coming?"

That question hit Mac harder than he expected.

He didn't really know. He had to think for a moment.

"I mean, I am labeled as a psychopath murderer who's escaped prison before.  First of all, I'm typically not anyone's first choice for companionship. And second...Aren't you afraid I'll just try to use you to get out?"

"Wow, you sound like you want me to leave." Mac scoffed.

"No, I don't want you to leave. I want to know your reasoning for not leaving."

"Fair enough."Mac sighed. "I...I guess I just... It's nice to have someone who understands, sometimes...I've already told you what I hold as pretty much my darkest secret ever. And you... you told me what happened to you, so...I don't know. " he shrugged awkwardly.

"Oh. That makes sense."

"And if you ever did try to use me to get out, you know I would beat the shit out of you and never speak to you again, right?"

"Yes, yes, I know. I was just making an example. I wouldn't break your little heart like that."

"Good."

Mac glanced down at his watch.

"I uh...I should probably get going."

"Be seeing you." Murdoc winked.

"Please never say that again." Mac rolled his eyes, but he couldn't contain a small laugh.

He stood, shaking his head and leaving the room.

He signed out of the prison log quickly before leaving the building. As far as they were concerned, he only visited because he was undercover.

He was walking down the same way he always went, barely even outside the entrance doors, when he was caught off guard by a familiar voice.

"So, how's our favorite psycho?"

Mac nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Jack..."

"Whatcha doing here, Mac?"

"I..."

"Riley tracked your phone, I know you've been here more than once. They think you're undercover, but I haven't heard anything about it,  and I think if I mentioned it to Matty, you'd have a pretty interesting conversation."

"Listen, Jack, if Matty found out that you knew, she'd be really mad."

" _Bullshit_."

"Please, Jack, please don't tell her."

"Then explain yourself, man."

"I can't..."

"I can't just let this go, Mac, this is serious-"

"If you're really my friend, you will."

"No! I'm worried about you!"

"I can't, Jack...I just...Can't..."

"Why not? You've always known that you can tell me anything."

Mac looked down, staying silent.

"Fine. Don't tell me." Just then his phone buzzed. 

He checked it and sighed. 

"Matty needs us."  
》》》

Mac could tell just by the way Jack was driving, he was mad as hell.

"Did he threaten you?" He asked suddenly. "Does he have something on you?"

"No, Jack."

" _Please_  tell me.  _Please_ help me make sense of this all. Help me believe you haven't gone completely insane!"

"I'm not crazy! I'm hurt..."

There was a long momentof silence before Mac spoke again.

"I needed someone to talk to. About something really serious."

"What the hell could you talk to that  _psycho_ about that you couldn't tell me?!"

"Rape!" He snapped.

That made Jack swerve.

He looked from the road to Mac and back again.

He quickly pulled over, off the road, parking the car.

"Rape, Jack..." He closed his eyes, turning his head towards the window.

His voice sounded hollow and small and it gave Jack chills.

"What do you mean, little man?" Jack made no attempt to hide the pain and concern in his voice.

"God, Jack...In the cabin...He tried to take off my belt to, um...make a tourniquet. I freaked out. And afterwards...He asked me why. One thing led to another and we ended up talking. About when I was seven... And this guy that my dad used to know, uh...Raped me. He said if I told anyone, he'd kill my dad. Turns out, after Murdoc's mom left...his dad did the same thing to him. So we figured out we both had something in common. I'd never told anyone else about it. I was too scared. Not really that he'd kill my dad. Not after he left, but... I was scared everyone would hate me. They'd think I was...dirty." He stared out the window.

"Mac..."

"Please don't tell Matty..." Mac looked back with tears in his eyes.

Jack unbuckled them both, pulling Mac into a hug.

"I won't. It's okay, Mac, I'm...I won't tell her. You are...The most amazing kid I've ever met. And finding out something that happened to you over a decade ago ain't gonna change that. Even if it had just happened, I'd still feel the same way. You're the same Mac that we _all_  know and love. I'm sorry you were afraid to tell me."

Mac sobbed quietly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, it's just-"

"It's okay. And, y'know...If all that stuff about Murdoc's true, and you still wanna go talk to him...You can. If he...Understands in some way that I can't... I want you to have that, Okay?" Jack said carefully. "Just don't go crazy on me and try helping him break out or anything."He joked.

"I won't..."Mac laughed, tears still sliding down his face.

"Thank you, Jack. For understanding. "He pulled out of the hug.

He quickly wiped his tears away. 

"Well, um...Matty needs us I guess, so...You okay now? Im sorry I yelled at you."

"Yeah, I know. I'm okay.  And...It's fine. I understand."

When they got to the Phoenix, Mac went straight to the war room, but Riley pulled Jack aside. 

"So?" She asked.

"Well...Mac's on a secret mission to gather Intel. Matty told him we weren't supposed to know, so I think he'd appreciate it if we kept it on the down low. Not let her know that we know, you know?"

"Oh, thank God. He had me worried for a minute."

"Riley, Dalton, care to join us?"Matty peeked around the corner.

"Uh, yeah, sorry Matty." Jack cleared his throat and they both headed inside to talk about their next mission.


End file.
